Torture, molest taint on uniform

MANOJ KAR

Kendrapara/Paradip, Dec. 15: In separate cases, two police officers were placed under suspension after allegations of wrongdoings surfaced against them.

While the superintendent of Kendrapara jail was suspended for allegedly torturing an undertrial, a senior police officer of Jagatsinghpur district police administration was accused of misbehaving with a woman complainant.

“Samir Sahu, the superintendent of Kendrapara sub-jail, was suspended after allegations against him by an undertrial were substantiated through a departmental inquiry,” said director general of prisons Shyamsundar Hansda.

Bimal Kumar Das, the undertrial prisoner, had lodged a complaint with the Kendrapara rural police station alleging that Sahu beat him up for refusing to cook in the prison kitchen and pushed him against a hot water container. As a result, he received burn injuries, Das alleged in his complaint.

Kendrapara superintendent of police Sarthak Sadangi said: “A case has been registered against the superintendent on the basis of the FIR lodged by Sahu.”

In the other case, Satish Chandra Ray, the inspector of Jagatsinghpur police station, was accused of misbehaving with a woman complainant allegedly on November 17, when she visited the local police station to register a complaint. The woman alleged that Ray, instead of registering the complaint, called her to his official residence inside the police station under the pretext of redressing her grievance and then tried to molest her.

On November 23, the woman lodged a complaint after which an administrative inquiry was conducted by the Jagatsinghpur sub-divisional police officer. The findings were forwarded to relevant authorities to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the errant official.

“It was an act of professional misconduct as per Orissa Service Code and Rules. He was placed under suspension on directions received from the state police headquarters,” said Jagatsinghpur superintendent of police Satyabrata Bhoi.

The unsavoury episode had snowballed into a major controversy as allegations of covering up the offence flew thick and fast.